ADD LUXE, NOT BUCKS
It takes time and talent, but not a lot of money, to create a hallway with a wow factor
Dear Sam,
On Instagram, you posted a picture of a stunning blue wall in a hallway. I would love to see that photo in a bigger way, but I’d also like for you to expand on how you made this wall. My husband and I are thinking of doing something similar.
First off, that blue! What’s the name of the blue and by who?
Secondly, how do you finish the boards to meet the existing baseboards? How is it attached to the walls, with nails or glue? And can you tell me the difference between this wall covering and beadboard or wainscotting? Thanks in advance, Angela
Dear Angela,
Happy you liked this photo of the hallway that leads to the front door. My team and I wanted to use architectural detailing to create a knock-your-socks-off entryway. The easiest way to do this was with panelling.
We removed the tiny two-anda-half-inch baseboards and added new five-inch ones. The new baseboards in the photo above have a bevel with the same depth as the flat stock panelling on the wall. The panelling is pre-primed MDF and the baseboards are solid wood.
Your panelled wall will look best if you have meaty baseboards. If you already have substantial baseboards in your home, you can save them by pulling them off temporarily, and tucking a piece of MDF or wood that’s the same thickness as your panelling behind your baseboards so they end up deeper than the panelling itself. If the panelling sticks out more than the baseboards, it will look odd and unfinished.
But before you start attaching anything to your walls, make sure you have a plan that takes into consideration how the panelling will look beside doorframes and windows. This project should not be attempted as a DIY unless you have serious woodworking skills.
If you are confident that you can handle this project, start with a drawing — you can even draw the plan in pencil on your walls.
To make the project affordable, we kept the plan simple. Making large squares like the ones on our wall does not require a lot of material.
“The key to making a panelled wall look high-end,” contractor Colin Hunter of 919 Reno says, “is to fill in the gaps with paintable latex caulking.”
To answer your question about beadboard, wainscotting, and the panelling in the photo, the difference is style. Wainscotting is panelling that covers the lower part of a room. Beadboard is a row of narrow vertical planks that can cover an entire wall, half the wall or the ceiling. You can buy stock wainscotting and beadboard sheets or go the custom route.
And finally, the colour of the walls is Surround Yourself from Para Paints. I can always count on sky blue to be an uplifting colour. I once read that if you’re going through a depression, painting a room pale blue will remind you of the sky and make you feel more connected to the world. Amazing what paint can do!
Happy panelling!